Attachment for spinning-mules.



No. 875,655. PATENTED DEC. 31, 1907.

R. J HARRINGTON.

ATTACHMENT FOR SPINNING MULES.

PPLIO TION FILED JULY 1 A A 906 2SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Fl E- 4 2'7 awm/wtoz Q mt o Robert J Harrington i afto'cwm vo No. 875,655. PATENTED DEC. 31, 1907.

- R. J. HARRINGTON.- ATTACHMENT FOR SPINNING MULES.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1906.

mm 2 cm lvi/tmwoeo ROBERT J. HARRINGTON, OF DALTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ATTACH'MENT FOR SPIN N IN G-MULES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1907.

Application filed July 2, 1906. Serial No. 824.474.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT J. HARRING- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dalton, in the county of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Spinning-Mules; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention is an attachment for spinning mules, of that class known on the market as the Davis and Furber Spinning Mules; and its purpose is to produce uniformity in the size and weight of the yarn from the bottom or inner portion of the bobbin, to its top or outer portion. These machines at present deliver the same amount of roving or stock at each draw, from the time the bobbins are started until they are full, and because of this fact, the yarn gradually becomes heavier, from the time the bobbins are about three quarters full until they are entirely full and dofled or taken off. This increase in the size or weight of the yarn, while the last quarter or part of the bobbin is being filled, is due to the fact that, the yarn will have to stretch less than the same amount had to stretch during the filling of the first three quarters of the bobbin,-hence the yarn upon the top or outer portion of the bobbin is invariably coarser or heavier than that upon the bottom and middle portion of the bobbin.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and practical attachment of this character which will give uniformity in size and weight to the yarn; and I accomplish this object by providing between the building shoe and the roving wheel of spinning mules of this character, means for gradually varying the arc of rotation of the roving wheel,and hence gradually diminishing the length of the roving paid out by the rollers at each draw.

lVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a spinning mule, showing the application of my invention thereto, the roving gear being shown out of engagement with its worm Fig. 2 is a detail plan view showing the roving gear in mesh with its worm; Fig. 3 is a detail view of the lever which carries the roving gear and operates the clutch; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the lock which holds the roving gear in mesh with its worm; Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 5-5 in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the invention removed from the spinning mule, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of supporting bracket for the rock shaft.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes the head of the spinning machine, 2 the front rail of the same and 3 the arms which support the rail 2 from the head 1. These arms or brackets 3 are connected by a longitudinally extending rod 4 which serves as a support for the spool stands (not shown). The two lower rolls 5, 6 are connected together by the usual gearing 7, and are mounted in suitable brackets 8 secured upon the rail 2. On one of the rolls is loosely mounted a beveled pinion 9, which meshes with a bevel gear 10 upon the shaft 11which drives the rolls. The pinion 9 carries the station ary member 12 of the clutch, the movable member 13 of which is mounted to rotate with, but slide on, the roll 5 and is operated by the forked end of one arm 14 of a lever 15 which carries the roving gear 16. The lever 15 is pivoted at 17 upon a supporting plate 18 secured upon the rail 2, as shown at 19, and is operated by the carriage (not shown), of the spinning mule, to engage and disengage the two members of the clutch, and the roving gear 16 with and from its worm 17,

which latter is mounted on the roll 5.

The lever 15 is formed with an opening 20 to receive the vertical arm 21 of a bell crank 22, which is pivoted at 23 upon a depending portion 24 of the plate 18 and has its other end or arm 25 projecting forwardly and adapted to be actuated by a part upon the carriage of the machine. The arm 25 of this bell crank or lever 22 is depressed as the carriage moves inwardly, so that its vertical arm 21 swings the lever 15 upon its pivot 17 to move the parts from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, in which latter figure the roving gear is in mesh with its worm and the two members of the clutch are engaged to lock the pinion 9 to the roll 5, so that the motion of the shaft 11 will be imparted thereto and hence to the roll 6 and the roving gear 16.

The parts are locked in the position shown in Fig. 2, by means of a locking member 26 which is pivoted at 27 upon the plate or support 18 and has at its free end a hook 28 adapted to engage the upper arm of the bellcrank and hold the latter against the tension .of its returning spring 29. This spring 29 is a pull spring, having one end connected to the arm 21 and its other end to a bracket 30 secured upon the rod 4. The lock 26 is actuated in one direction, that is, toward and into engagement with the arm 21 by a spring (not shown) surrounding its pivot and located beneath the same, so that as the arm 21 springs forwardly the hook 23 will swing behind the said arm and retain it in its forward position.

The roving gear 16 is mounted to turn upon a stationary pivot 31 projecting from the lever 15 and is formed with circumferentially arranged series of holes 32, the holes of the two series being disposed in zigzag relation. These holes are adapted to receive the two stop pins 34, 35, the former of which 34, is adapted to coact with the beveled edge 36 of a stop plate 37 carried by the lock 26. The other pin 35 coacts with a stop arm 38 projecting from the stud 31 carried on the lever 15. The roving gear 16 is driven in one direction by its worm 17 and it is moved in the reverse direction when released by said worm, by the descent of a weight 39 attached to one end of a strap 40 which is passed over a guide pulley in a bracket 42 on the rod 4, and has its other end attached to the roving gear. The weight 39 actuates the roving gear to swing its stop pin 35 into engagement with the stop arm 38. The numeral 43 de notes one of the building shoes which is mov able in its guide 44 upon the floor and is actuated by mechanism (not shown) in the usual manner.

The aboverlescribed parts are old and well known and in connection with them. I employ the following parts which constitute my improvements: On the inner side of the building shoe 1 adjustably secure a detent 45 which is adapted to engage and actuate a push rod 46 when the set of bobbins is about threequarters full or when the yarn commenace to change in size and weight. The detent 45 is in the form of an angle bracket having one arm slotted and adjustably clamped upon the building shoe, by a screw bolt or the like 47, and its other arm projecting so as to engage a head 48 upon the forward end of the rod 46. The latter is slidably mounted in a guide bracket 49 secured upon the floor, and it is actuated in one direction by a coil spring 50 which surlrounds the outer end of it and is confined between the guide 49 and the head 48. The l outward movement of the push rod under I the action of its spring is limited by an adustable stop 52 in the form of a nut mounted iupon a screw-threaded portion of said rod and adapted to engage the guide or bearing 49. The opposite end of the rod 46 is adjustably secured. in one of the slotted arms of a bell crank 53 which is pivoted at 54 upon a bracket 55 secured upon the floor, and has I aclpistably connected to its other slotted t arm, the lower end of a connecting rod or link 56. The upper end of the link or rod 56 is adjustably connected to a slotted crank arm 57 on a horizontally disposed rock shaft 58 mounted in bearings in brackets 59, 661 The bracket 59 is adiustably secured upon one of the arms 3, and. the bracket 60. is. adjustably secured upon a right angle bracket 61, which latter is in turn adjustably secured. upon the head 1 of the machine. Instead. of employing the brackets 60, 61, I may substitute therefor, the device shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. This device consists of two adjustably connected members 62, 63, the upper one of which corresponds to the bracket 60 and receives the rock shaft 53, and the lower one of which has a clamp- 64 to engage the rod 4. On the rock shaft 532 adjustably secured a pin or stud 66 carrying a universal joint 67, which is connected to one end of a rod 68. The latter has its opposite end connected to a stop slide or plate 37 on the locking bar 26. This plate or: slide 37 is slidably mounted upon the locking; bar 26, by the engagement of its under edge with a shoulder 69 formed upon the bar 26', and by a screw or the like 70 which passes through a longitudinal slot formed in the plate. The stop plate or slide is slidably mounted in this manner upon. the locking bar 26, so that its beveled edge 36 may be adjusted in the path of the stop pin 34 on the roving wheel to limit the arc of rotation of the latter. The connecting rod or link 68 is preferably made in two sections, which have their oppositely threaded ends connected by a turn buckle 71, so that said rod may be adjusted in length to regulate the position. of the stop slide 37 with respect to the roving gear, and hence permit the degree of movement of the roving gear to be more accurately regulated than can be done by changing the location of the stop pins 34,. 35 in the holes in said. gear or wheel.

The operation of the parts of the spinning mule shown in. the drawings is as follows: The shaft 11 is constantly rotated, but its movement will not be imparted to the rolls 5, 6 and the roving gear 16 until the carriage advances and at the end of its running in or winding on movement depresses the arm 25 is se cured a slotted crank arm 65, in which is of the bell crank 22. When this occurs, the end 21 of the bell crank swings the lever 15 to cause its arm 14 to move the clutch member 13 into engagement with the member 12 and to swing the roving gear 16 into mesh with the worm 17. When the parts are in this position, which is shown in Fig. 2, the rolls will be rotated to pay out the roving, and the worm 17 will be rotated until the stop pin 34 engages the beveled edge 36 of the stop slide 37 on the lock 26. It will be understood that this locking bar holds the arm 21 of the bell crank 42 in its forward position, to which it is moved by the carriage, and that it therefore holds the clutch members engaged and the roving gear in mesh with the worm. As the pin 34 moves, the locking bar 26 in the direction in which the roving gear rotates, the hook 28 will disengage the arm 21 and the spring 29 will return the bell crank 22 to its normal position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. As it does this, the lever 15 is returned to its position shown in Fig. 1, and the clutch members are disconnected and the roving gear disengaged from its worm, As soon as the roving gear is released from its worm, the descent of the weight 39 will swing it in the opposite direction until its stop pin 35 engages the stop arm 38. It will thus be seen that as soon as the roving gear is disconnected from its worm, the clutch member 13 is disengaged from the member 12, and hence the shaft 11 ceases to impart its motion to the roving gear. Thus, the degree of rotation of the roving gear determines the amount of roving paid out by the rolls.

The operation of the attachment is as follows: The trip or detent 45 is so adjusted on the building shoe 43 that when the yarn upon the bobbins begins to change in size and weight, that is, when the bobbins are about three-quarters full, said detent will engage the head 48 and move the push rod 46 against the tension of its spring 50. This movement of the rod actuates the bell crank 53, which, through its rod 56 and the arm 57, rocks the shaft 58. The movement of the shaft 58 will, through the connections 65, 66, 67 and 68, gradually shift the stop slide or plate 37 and move it forward a certain distance at each actuation of the shoe and cause the pin 34 to engage the gradually widening edge of the plate 37, so that the arc of the rotation of the roving gear will be gradually diminished, and hence the feed of the roving gradually cut off.

It will be seen that as the stop slide 37 is gradually moved inwardly, its beveled edge 36 will engage by the pin 34 a little sooner each succeeding oscillation of the gear 16,- hence the time during which the shaft 11 drives the rolls will be gradually diminished and the paying out of the roving at each draw correspondingly diminished. By providing the various adjustments between the connected parts of the attachment, it will be seen that their movements may be properly timed and controlled to effect the desired results.

I From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

the construction, operation and advantages of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as 'new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is 1. In a spinning mule, the combination of a roving delivery contro ling gear having a stop pin, means operated by the mule carriage for drawing said gear into mesh with its operating worm, a lock bar for holding said gear in mesh with its Worm, a slide carried. by said lock bar and having one side tapered towards its free end and adapted to engage said stop pin, a-rock shaft connected with said slide, a push rod connected with said rock shaft, a coiled spring on said rod for actuating it in one direction, and a building shoe having a detent for engagement with said push rod for actuating it in the other direction.

2. In a spinning mule, the combination with a building shoe roving delivery mechanism and a roving gear having a stop pin, of

a stop slide having a tapered edge to coact with said stop pin, a rock shaft for operating said stop slide, an arm upon said shaft, a bell crank, a link connecting said arm and said bell crank, a guide, a push rod slidable in said guide and connected to the other arm of said bell crank, a head upon said rod, an ad justable stop upon said rod, a coil spring upon said rod between said head and said guide, and a trip adjustably mounted upon said building shoe.

3. In a spinning mule the combination with a building shoe, roving delivery mechanism and a roving delivery controlling gear having a stop pin, of a stop slide having a tapered edge to coact with said stop pin, a rock shaft, an arm upon said rock shaft, a stud on said arm, a universal joint on said I stud, an adjustable connecting rod between I said joint and said stop slide, a bell crank, a link connecting said arm and said bell crank, a guide, a push rod slidable in said guide and connected to the other arm of said bell crank, a head upon said rod, 'anii"adjustable stop upon said rod, a coiled spring mounted on said rod between said head and said guide,

form, proportion and a trip adjustably mounted upon said j building shoe.

4. In a spinning mule, the combination with a building shoe roving delivery mechanism and a roving delivery controlling gear having a stop pin, of a stop slide having a tapered edge to coact with said stop pin, a rock shaft, a bell crank, a connection between the said bell crank and said rock shaft, a push j rod connected to said bell crank, a coiled j spring on said. push rod for actuating it in one direction a trip upon said building shoe for actuating said push rod for actuating it in' the other direction, an arm upon said rock shaft, and an adjustable connection between said arm and said stop slide, substantially as described.

5. In a spinning mule, the combination with a lever, a stud-provided roving-wheel mount d for oscillatory movement on said lever, a carriage-operated lever for actuating the wheel carrying lever, a swinging locking plate for engaging the carriage operated lever, and a buildingshoe, of a stop member bodily carried by, and slid able relatively to, said locking-plate and operative by changed positions thereof on the locking plate to vary the point of its interception of the roving wheel-stud, and means connected with said stop member and subject to affect by the building shoe for variably positioning the stop slide on the locking plate.

6, In a spinning mule, the combination with a stud-provided roving-wheel, a lever on which said wheel is mounted for oscillatory movement, a carriage operated bell crank lever for shifting the wheelrcarrying lever, a swinging locking plate for engaging the bell crank lever, and a building-shoe, of a stop plate bodily carried by the locking plate and movable thereon in a direction radially of the wheel and having a tapered edge, and means connected with said sliding stop plate and subject to affect by the building shoe for forcing the stop plate inwardly relatively to the wheel.

7. The combination with a shiftable studprovided rovingwheel, a stop plate having a tapered edge, a swinging support on which the stop plate is movable, and a building shoe having an abutment, of a rockshaft having an arm, a rod pivotally connected to the stop plate and a universal joint connecting it with said rockshaft arm, a rod arranged in a line of movement of the building shoe, and adapted to be contacted on and forced by the abutment of the latter, and connections between said rod and said rockshaft for imparting a rotative movement to the latter.

8. The combination with a shiftable studprovided rovingwheel, a stop plate having a tapered edge, a swinging support on which the stop plate is movably mounted adjacent the wheel, and a building-shoe having an abutment adjustable forwardly and rearwardly thereon, of a rockshaft having an arm, a rod pivotally connected to the stop plate, a universal joint connecting it with said rockshaft arm, and means for lengthening and shortening said rod, a rod arranged in a line of movement of the building shoe, and adapted to be contacted on and forced by the abutment of the latter, connections between said rod and said rockshaft for imparting a rotative movement to the latter, and a spring for retracting the second named rod oppositely from the forcing movement thereof by the said abutment.

9. In a spinning mule, the combination with a stud-provided roving wheel, a lever on which said wheel is mounted for bodily oscillatory movement, a carriage operated,

lever for actuating the wheel carrying lever, a swinging locking plate for engaging the carriage operating lever, and a building shoe having on one side thereof an L-shaped abutment, one member of which has a slot and set screw connection for adjustment with the side of the shoe, of a rockshaft having its location in the region of the roving wheel and having arms fixed thereon and differently radially extended, a stop plate carried by and slidable relatively to the locking plate, a rod pivotally connected to the stop plate and universal joint connected to one arm of the rockshaft, a bell crank lever having its location in the region of the building shoe, a rod connecting the other arm of the rockshaft with an arm of said bell crank lever, a rod connected with the other arm of the bell crank lever arranged in the line of movement of the building shoe and adapted in the final portion of the movement of the latter to be engaged and forced thereby, and a spring reacting on the latter named rod oppositely to the direction of the thrust by the building shoe.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT J HARRINGTON.

Y'Vitnesses:

JOHN HARRINGTON, Josnrn A. DALY. 

